Betty Duffy

(Amateur)

Friday, September 19, 2008

Little House Love

Apparently there is something about my maternity that makes me look like cast members from Little House on the Prairie. For the record, those pictures above are not of me and Mr. Duffy. But they are my grandparents, which means if you marry the offspring of those two English lovebirds with the offspring of a couple of German/ Dutch lovebirds, you get me: A tall, blonde-haired woman with a substantial upper lip, and a chubby-while-pregnant face. During one pregnancy several years ago, when my hair was around shoulder length, and the light was reflecting off my glasses just so, Mr. Duffy was inspired to look at me lovingly and say, “You really look like Doc Baker.”

I have, apparently improved with age. Though I have not worn a long flannel nightgown since we got married eight years ago, I have kept one in a box all these years, because I grew up in Lanz of Salzburg nightgowns, and they are a part of me. As the weather has turned cooler these last few weeks, the call of my nightgown has grown very strong. Last night, I crawled into bed, pulled the flannel nightgown around my ankles, and began to braid my hair, which is now long. “You really look like Caroline Ingalls,” came the voice from the other side of the bed.

I have now decided that this fixation with Little House on the Prairie characters is not my fault. It is most certainly my mother-in-law’s contribution to my husband’s psycho-sexual disposition. Mr. Duffy was allowed to watch one prime time T.V. show during his formative years, which was of course, Little House. Fortunately for me, I came later in the family birth order, and my parents saw fit to leave the house occasionally during prime time hours and on weekends. This left me armed with the remote control and little supervision during those critical years. Night Rider, Miami Vice, Family Ties, Fantasy Island, Little House—I’ve loved them all. Perhaps that has made my tastes a little more…complex.

Mr. Duffy maintains that he likes to sleep unfettered—make of that what you will. But I think there may be a little fantasy that he hasn't felt comfortable sharing with me.

4 comments:

cracking up here! mr. duffy is apparently not the only man that thinks caroline ingalls was a hot mama, i´ve heard this from other mother´s hmmmm... well, she was very pretty and i wanted her to be my mother, wear your resemblence with pride!

Maybe this is a familial problem. Remember that really pretty pink striped flannel nightgown Mom handed down to me? Banned years ago. Remember thinking that a flannel nightshirt was kind of cute in a gamine way? Uh uh. Didn't you used to want one of those flowing white embroidered European style white nightgowns that were so romantic and beautiful? Do our husbands lack the sense of romance to find those attractive? Maybe they need to watch MORE Little House.

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